Talk:Zygoballus nervosus

Original descriptions

Peckham 1888

Eris nervosus nov. sp.

Female. Total length 4 mm. Width of abdomen 1.5 mm.

Cephalothorax: length 1.6; width 1.4; height 0.7.

Legs 4, 3.2, 2.9, 3.7; patella and tibia of the first, 1.3; patella and tibia of the third, 0.9; patella and tibia of the fourth, 1.3; metatarsus and tarsus of the fourth, 1.

Cephalothorax not high, nearly plane, a little dilated opposite dorsal eyes, with sides nearly vertical in front, and somewhat rounded behind; cephalic part very little inclined; thoracic part sloping from just behind dorsal eyes. Ocular area occupying nearly three-fifths of cephalothorax, one-fourth wider than long, wider behind than in front. Anterior eyes small, in a straight row, slightly separated from each other; middle scarcely twice as large as lateral; eyes of second row twice as far from dorsal as from lateral eyes; dorsal as large as lateral eyes, further from each other than from lateral borders, forming a row as wide as cephalothorax at that place. Clypeus one-half as high as middle eyes, a little inclined backwards. Falces extending to inner edges of lateral eyes, a little longer than the face, nearly square, parallel, a little inclined backward, fang weak. Maxillae diverging a little, enlarged and rounded at extremity. Labium one-half as long as maxillae, a little longer than wide, rounded. Sternum nearly round. Anterior coxae separated by scarcely the width of the labium. Legs of the first pair stoutest, with femoral joints enlarged and compressed, and patella and tibia much stouter than metatarsus and tarsus; weak femoral spines on first, second and third; stout tibial and metatarsal spines on the first, and weak spines on the corresponding joints of the second.

Coloration: Cephalothorax black. Clypeus black with a few long white hairs. Abdomen dark reddish brown with some very short white hairs, three rather indistinct, oblique black bands on each side of dorsum, and two white chevrons at apex. Falces and mouthparts dark brown. Sternum and coxae light brown. Venter dark reddish brown with short gray hairs. Palpi and legs light brown, the legs tipped with black.

Habitat: New York.

Emerton 1891

Zygoballus terrestris, new sp.

Length of female 3 mm. The cephalothorax is two-thirds as wide as long, and half as high as long. The posterior eyes are the full width of the cephalothorax apart, and the thorax slopes backward from them, but not as steeply as in bettini, nor is it as much narrowed behind. Pl. XVII, fig. 5.

The color of the cephalothorax in alcohol, is dark brown, covered thinly with small, light colored scales. The first pair of legs are dark brown, the femur darkest, and the other joints a little lighter in the middle. The other legs are lighter with the ends of the joints dark. Fig. 5c. The abdomen is lighter than the thorax, and marked with irregular and variable dark spots.

In the male the abdomen is brown in the middle, with a distinct white line around the front and sides. The male palpi are short, the patella and tibia being not much longer than wide. The tibial hook is as long as the tibia itself, and only slightly curved. Fig. 5d. The palpal organ is small and covered by the tarsus. The tube is moderately long, and lies in the groove at the end of the tarsus for its whole length. The mandibles are similar to those of bettini, but smaller. The epigynum has the anterior opening nearly square, opening toward the front, and the posterior notch very wide. Fig. 5b.

On fences and under leaves in winter.

Boston and Cambridge, Mass., and New Haven, Conn.